Even after the Miracle of Purim, the Jews remained subjects of the Persian Empire, whereas on Hanukkah, as a result of the victory of the Maccabees, the Jews gained their independence from the Seleucid kings.
Judas Maccabeus, a Kohen (Jewish priest) who led a revolt against the Seleucid Empire
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According to 2 Maccabees 15, Judas inspired his troops by relating to them a dream-vision he had experienced, wherein the Prophet Jeremiah presented a gold sword to him and said, "Accept this holy sword as a gift from God; with it you shall crush your adversaries." (2 Maccabees 15:15-16, NAB).
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Judas appointed the 13th of Adar, the day of the victory (161 BC), as a feast-day, and it still has a place in the calendar of special days ("Megillat Ta'anit").
In the opening scene of Act II, for example, Justice tells Love that Heroical Virtue "is gone to the Antipodes, unto Japonia" that is, Japan and that "I have not heard of him since the time of Judas Maccabeus...." The drama also displays many references to then-recent historical events, including the Gunpowder Plot and François Ravaillac's assassination of Henri IV among others.